The Onsen Team's Blog by The Onsen Team

Ever lose your cell phone?!?

Yes, I lost my cell phone. You don’t think much of it until it happens to YOU. Most of us in this North American (and Global) society are wired in. I read a statistic that 85% of the adult population currently has a cell phone in North America! So what happens when you lose that phone; that connection… Well it happened to me last night. I actually didn’t “lose” my phone, but mistakenly left it in my client’s car. I was signing an offer with them (in the back seat of their Vibe, outside the seller’s house at 10pm) when I took out my phone and left it on their back seat…. I realized it on my way home, and was immediately panic stricken. My phone (a Bell Blackberry unit) is literarily my life. As a Realtor, I have ALL my client’s information in it, my day-to-day itinerary and appointments, upcoming closings and more… and on a more personal note, I have family members/friends’ birthdays (and what I ..(read more)

Kitchen Countertops - change them and enjoy them!

So I'm thinking of replacing my kitchen countertops... Let me give you some quick background info on my situation, and the resulting ideas and thoughts I want to share today. I live in a 3 yr old 2 storey, single detached home, that I bought from a builder. I spent some money on upgrades at that point throughout the home, but the kitchen was left fairly average and untouched. There are oak cabinets with some modern handles, and the standard acrylic countertops. The change I did make was to add a raised breakfast bar, which I quite like and enjoy eating at daily. The colour, however, of the countertop is one I am not very fond of. Which brings me to today's topic... I want to change my kichen countertops. New countertops will undoubtedly add value to the home - granted I get some higher end ones. Some of the homes in this price range will have the granite, or quartz, which certainly gives the home a "WOW" feel, especially since my kitchen is quite large and ..(read more)

The truth about OPEN HOUSES!

Public Open houses DO work!!! Some agents shy away from having weekend Open Houses for the public, because they feel those who come through the open house are rarely ever going to buy that home. “They are just lookers, and not buyers”, or “Most are tire kickers, and don’t even know if they can afford the house, let alone be ready to buy it”, are some of the comments (or excuses) some agents might make. My personal opinion is, with THAT kind of attitude as an agent, you are certainly doomed and will never “sell that house” at an Open House. It’s all in the approach you take. Having plenty colourful feature sheets with details of the home is crucial (make sure they have plenty of inside pictures of the home, so the customer can remember the home long after they’ve left). Having a map of the area (or city), info on schools nearby, information from banks (or mortgage brokers) regarding monthly mortgage payments ..(read more)

Multiple Offers? It’s nice to meet you!

Most agents have, at one point or another, had to deal with multiple offers. Either you’re on the receiving end (acting for the Seller) in which case you’re usually ecstatic, or you’re the one bringing the offer (acting for the Buyer) in which case you’re usually nervous and anxious waiting to see if your offer is the better one on the night! I listed a cute backsplit semi-detached the other day and 3 days later, bingo, we have 2 offers coming in! Both offers were good (full price offers) and in the end there was very little to pick between the two. So, I was left with no choice but to meet with both of the Buyer’s agents and “send them both back” to their clients and see if they wanted to “improve” their current offers in any way. The closing dates were nearly identical, the price on each offer was nearly identical, as were the conditions for both sets of buyers. In the end one of the offers was accepted ..(read more)

Mortgage Rates? Fixed vs Variable

This is a question I've been hearing more and more from clients in the last while. So I went to the source (respected and trusted Mortgage expert), to find out what they would recommend. "The most asked question in today's mortgage market. Should I go fixed or variable? If you are unsure and need the security that a fixed mortgage will bring then I say, do both. Split your mortgage, so that 50% is fixed to give you the security you need and 50% is variable which, at the time of writing, is a much lower interest rate. We understand that it is preferable to diversify your investments, so by splitting your mortgage, you are also diversifying your debts. Here is an example: Mortgage Limit of $200,000. A 5 year fixed mortgage of $100,000 at a rate of 5.69%= monthly payment of $522/month. A 5 year variable mortgage $100,000 at a rate of 4.50%= monthly payment of $447/month This gives you an average interest rate of 5.10%. This type of ..(read more)

The challenge of Home Staging (and Selling) a home with pets.

Preparing and Staging your home for sale, when pets are around can be very challenging. If you have a fish, in a bowl maybe not so much but a dog (especially a large one) a cat, or a few of each, and you will soon see my point. We will talk briefly about 1) dogs, 2) cats, and 3) all other pets afterwards. We've just listed a house that was in good condition overall, but the owners have 2 large dogs. The challenge here was not too much the hair shedding (because the owners did a great job at keeping that under control) but the pet "smell" that is inevitable when pets are around. Let’s start with Dogs; man’s best friend. “Love me, love my pets,” doesn't apply when selling your home. Take your dog with you when your house is being shown, or at least keep them outside (or as in our case, put them in the garage). If you have a large dog, you might even consider having him stay with family, relatives, friends, or even at the vet ..(read more)